Herzog to assign Israel government mandate on Sunday

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he will decide on Sunday, November 8, whom to assign the task of forming a government, after consultations yielded 67 recommendations for Gadi Eisenkot and 46 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Herzog said the tally did not resolve which lawmaker could assemble a viable coalition. The recommendations came from factions in the 120-seat Knesset. Seven members were not represented in either candidate’s tally: United Torah Judaism, which won seven seats, declined to recommend anyone. Herzog said he would hold further personal discussions with some party leaders before making his decision. “The results of the consultations may appear clear, but the authority vested in me by law is to determine who has the ability to form a government, and that is not entirely clear, given the mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves,” Herzog said. The recommendation totals differ from the seat distribution produced by the October 27 election. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, parties principally opposed to him won 48, and Arab parties secured 19. The 67 recommendations for Eisenkot therefore include support beyond the 48-seat bloc opposed...